How do I find a qualified Gym & Fitness product manufacturer in China?

First, you want to avoid trading companies, which tend to offer all sorts of products. For example, if you find a supplier claiming to sell foam rollers, treadmills and protein powder, you can be sure you’re dealing with a trading company or wholesaler.

So, why should you stay away from trading companies or wholesaler when importing fitness and health products?

Instead, you should look for suppliers that are specialized. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they must focus on one single product.

For example, a factory can make both yoga mats and foam rollers.

Below follows an overview of common supplier categories:

Gym Accessories

Dumbbells & Weights

Gym Machines

Motorized Treadmills

Resistance Bands

EVA Foam Rollers

Yoga Mats

Fitness Trackers

Nutrition & Supplements

Protein Shakers

Water Bottles

Sportswear

Yoga Wear / Compression Wear

Yet, within each of these categories, you may find hundreds of suppliers. Searching for ‘Foam Rollers’ on Alibaba.com results in 80,433 products, from 1,640 suppliers.

The same search on Globalsources.com results in 18,438 products, from 1,132 suppliers.

With thousands of suppliers for foam rollers alone, how can you identify those that are qualified and somewhat reliable?

I suggest that you look at the following factors.

Product scope

Registered capital

Product test reports (i.e., CA Prop 65 or REACH)

Quality management system

CSR (i.e., Sedex or BSCI)

Keep in mind that prices and MOQ requirements specified on Alibaba, and other directories, are often inaccurate. Hence, don’t consider them when selecting supplier.

Product regulations for Gym & Fitness products

As with all products, importers are responsible for ensuring compliance with all safety standards, labeling requirements and document requirements.

Gym Machines (Electronic)

All electronic products must comply with electrical safety regulations. In the EU, this include the Low Voltage Directive, EMC and RoHS.

In the US, importers must comply with FCC Part 15, which regulates radio communication. There are also voluntary UL (Underwriter Laboratories) standards.

Gym Machines (Manual)

There are few regulations in place that apply specifically to gym machines and other equipment. That being said, even in the cases when there are no specific standards in place – it’s still up to the importer to ensure that the product is safe to use.

This is why there are regulations such as the General Product Safety Directive, as regulators cannot implement safety standards for all types of products that enter the market.

Protein Bottles (Food Contact Materials)

Such regulations, including 21 CFR in the US and corresponding regulations in Europe, apply to plastics, metals and other materials.

How do I know if a supplier can comply with all relevant standards?

Most suppliers cannot comply with overseas regulations, including those in the fitness, health and gym equipment industry.

One criteria I use when sourcing suppliers on behalf of clients, is to ask them for existing test reports and product certificates.

For example, if I source Yoga Mats suppliers, I will ask for REACH or CA Prop 65 test reports – to verify that they have the capability to make compliant products.

That is of course not a guarantee for your product being fully compliant. But, a supplier with existing compliance documents are far more likely to make a compliant product – compared to one that never did so.

How many units do I need to order?

The MOQ requirement varies between suppliers, and product categories. The MOQ also tends to reflect the cost and complexity of a product – as demonstrated below:

Foam rollers: 500 – 1000 pcs

Threadmills: 5 – 10 pcs

Protein Shakers: 3000 – 5000 pcs

Yoga Mats: 500 – 1000 pcs

Compression Wear: 500 – 1000 pcs

Keep in mind that many suppliers are willing to offer a lower MOQ, at least for the first order, if you use their standard materials and colors.

For example, you will need to look for visual defects, such as scratches and dirt. Then there’s functional testing.

If you import gym machines, you should test the units with full weight load. For supplements, the product must be sent to a lab to ensure it’s what the supplier says it is.

Trade shows in Hong Kong and Mainland China

Do you prefer to meet suppliers face to face, rather than sourcing online? Then you might want to attend one of the following trade shows in the health, fitness and gym equipment industry:

IWF Shanghai

CIHIE – China International Nutrition & Health Industry Expo Beijing

China Sport Show Shanghai

FIBO CHINA Shanghai

HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week

Global Sources Fashion Fair

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About Fredrik Gronkvist

Fredrik Gronkvist has been based in Shanghai since 2010 and is our main contributor. In addition, his content has also been featured in Bloomberg, Quartz Magazine, Global Sources, Alibaba, China Chief Executive and more. You can send him an email on fredrik@chinaimportal.com or via Linkedin.